Wednesday, January 7, 2015

je ne suis pas charlie #jenesuispascharlie

Before you say Je suis Charlie (we are all Charlie), do take a look at his racist work (included below).

We feel a deep empathy for our impoverished African Muslim brothers and sisters in France. It reminds us of traveling to Paris to play the Festival des cultures d'Islam, and being struck at how sidelined the minority community is. The popularity of political parties like Front National, or outright fascist political groups made headlines for the past decade. These assorted right wing parties are unified by their antagonistic relationship with the French working class, immigrant North African communities. The Muslims in France have been railroaded out of mainstream French society, and are the biggest (surviving) losers of today's events. Let's not let some crazies with a gun define a discussion that is about an overwhelmingly racist country, racist/prejudiced media and impoverished immigrants who left countries ravaged by French colonialism.

It's like blaming the Black Lives Matter protests for the fact that someone mentally disturbed drove from Maryland to New York and killed 2 police officers (after first attacking his girlfriend).